1982 Thunderbirds Indian Springs Diamond Crash

Last updated

1982 Thunderbirds Indian Springs Diamond Crash
USAF Thunderbirds - T-38s 1980.jpg
Thunderbird T-38As in formation
Occurrence
Date18 January 1982
SummaryFlight into terrain
Site Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field
Aircraft type Northrop T-38 Talon
Operator United States Air Force Thunderbirds
Flight origin Nellis AFB, Nevada
DestinationLocal training
Passengers0
Crew4
Fatalities4
Injuries0
Survivors0

The 1982 Diamond Crash was the worst operational accident to befall the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds Air Demonstration Team involving show aircraft. [1] Four Northrop T-38 Talon jets crashed during operational training on 18 January 1982, killing all four pilots.

Contents

Accident

The Thunderbirds were practicing at Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field, Nevada (now Creech Air Force Base) for a performance at Davis–Monthan AFB, Arizona. [2] Four T-38As, Numbers 1–4, comprising the basic diamond formation, hit the desert floor almost simultaneously on Range 65, now referred to as "The Gathering of Eagles Range". [3] The pilots were practicing the four-plane line abreast loop, in which the aircraft climb in side-by-side formation several thousand feet, pull over in a slow, inside loop, and descend at more than 400 miles per hour (640 km/h). The planes were meant to level off at about 100 feet (30 m); instead, the formation struck the ground at high speed. [4]

The four pilots died instantly: Major Norm Lowry, III, leader, 37, of Radford, Virginia; Captain Willie Mays, left wing, 31, of Ripley, Tennessee; Captain Joseph "Pete" Peterson, right wing, 32, of Tuskegee, Alabama; and Captain Mark E. Melancon, slot, 31, of Dallas, Texas. The airframes involved were all T-38A-75-NO Talons, serial numbers 68-8156, -8175, -8176 and -8184. [5]

Col. Mike Wallace, of the Public Information Office at nearby Nellis AFB, home of the demonstration team, said that Major General Gerald D. Larson, the head of an Air Force investigation board, arrived at Nellis that night. "Larson and a team of 10 to 15 experts are expected to spend three weeks studying the wreckage of the four T-38s – the worst [training] crash in the 28-year history of the Air Force aerial demonstration team. The jets crashed almost simultaneously with what near-by Indian Springs residents described as an earthquake-like explosion that looked like a napalm bomb. Wreckage was strewn across a 1-square-mile area of the desert 60 miles north of Las Vegas." [6]

Initial speculation was that the accident might have been due to pilot error, that the leader might have misjudged his altitude or speed and the other three pilots repeated the error. [4] However, the Air Force concluded that the crash was due to a jammed stabilizer on the lead jet. The other pilots, in accordance with their training, did not break formation. [7]

Eyewitness accounts

"At the speed they were going when they came out of the loop, I just thought, "That's the end of that for them fellows,'" said W. G. Wood of Indian Springs, who witnessed the crash as he drove along US 95. "It happened so fast I couldn't tell you if one hit sooner. It looked like all of them hit at the same time." [2]

Construction worker George LaPointe watched the jets disappear behind tree tops, "They didn't come back up," he said. "They were going full tilt, really screaming, and at the time I thought they were too low." [2]

Investigation and aftermath

Technical Sergeant Alfred R. King filmed the accident from the ground. His footage helped to determine the cause for the AFR 127-4 (the Air Force Regulation covering "Investigating and Reporting US Air Force Mishaps") accident investigation. [8] On 26 January 1982, Congress passed Resolution 248, stating that "The Congress hereby affirms its strong support for continuation of the Thunderbirds program." Nonetheless, the 1982 season was cancelled for the Thunderbirds while they rebuilt the team. Former demonstration-unit members still on active duty were recalled to help rebuild the squadron. [2]

A five-page report of the mishap was published by Aviation Week & Space Technology in their issue dated 17 May 1982.

The Thunderbirds next flew a public demonstration in early 1983, more than 18 months after their last public air show. [9]

On 2 April 1984, at the direction of Gen. Wilbur Creech, Commanding General, USAF Tactical Air Command, the two authorized and only known copies of the crash videotape were destroyed, with Creech himself erasing the portion of the master tape that showed the final impact and subsequent fireball of the four aircraft. At the time of the destruction, the families of the pilots and NBC had already demanded access to the tapes as part of a suit against Northrop and a FOIA request, respectively. Creech did not seek JAG guidance prior to destroying the tapes, and asked two of the three personnel who had been involved in reviewing the tapes to leave the room prior to his partial erasure of the master tape. He stated that he erased the tape because it would likely be used for sensationalism purposes and he was concerned about the privacy of the victims' families. [10]

Conversion to F-16A's

The Thunderbirds switched back to front-line jet fighters after the accident. The Air Force team, like the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels, had switched to smaller aircraft after the 1973 oil crisis (the Navy switched from F-4 Phantoms to smaller A-4 Skyhawks). The first F-16A Fighting Falcon in Thunderbird colors arrived at Nellis AFB, Nevada, on 22 June 1982. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker</span> US military aerial refueling and transport aircraft

The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling tanker aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It has a narrower fuselage and is shorter than the 707. Boeing gave the aircraft the internal designation of Model 717. The KC-135 was the United States Air Force (USAF)'s first jet-powered refueling tanker and replaced the KC-97 Stratofreighter. The KC-135 was initially tasked with refueling strategic bombers, but it was used extensively in the Vietnam War and later conflicts such as Operation Desert Storm to extend the range and endurance of US tactical fighters and bombers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Springs, Nevada</span> Unincorporated town in the State of Nevada, United States

Indian Springs is an unincorporated town and a census-designated place located on U.S. Route 95 next to Creech Air Force Base in northwestern Clark County and southern Nevada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Air Force Thunderbirds</span> Air demonstration squadron of the United States Air Force

The USAF Air Demonstration Squadron ("Thunderbirds") is the air demonstration squadron of the United States Air Force (USAF). The Thunderbirds are assigned to the 57th Wing, and are based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. Created 70 years ago in 1953, the USAF Thunderbirds are the third-oldest formal flying aerobatic team in the world, after the French Air Force Patrouille de France formed in 1931 and the United States Navy Blue Angels formed in 1946.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nellis Air Force Base</span> USAF base in Clark County, Nevada

Nellis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force installation in southern Nevada. Nellis hosts air combat exercises such as Exercise Red Flag and close air support exercises such as Green Flag-West flown in "Military Operations Area (MOA) airspace", associated with the nearby Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR). The base also has the Combined Air and Space Operations Center-Nellis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northrop T-38 Talon</span> Military advanced trainer aircraft by Northrop

The Northrop T-38 Talon is a two-seat, twinjet supersonic jet trainer designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Northrop Corporation. It was the world's first supersonic trainer as well as the most produced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke Air Force Base</span> US Air Force base in Arizona

Luke Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is located 7 miles west of the central business district of Glendale, and 15 miles west of Phoenix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Impulse</span> Military unit

Blue Impulse is the aerobatic demonstration team of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF). The team was founded in 1960 as a team of six F-86 Sabres. They changed mounts to the Mitsubishi T-2 in 1980 and then to the Kawasaki T-4 in 1995. They are based at Matsushima Air Base, which was heavily damaged by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicole Malachowski</span> US Air Force officer

Nicole Margaret Ellingwood Malachowski is a retired United States Air Force (USAF) officer and the first female pilot selected to fly as part of the USAF Air Demonstration Squadron, better known as the Thunderbirds. She later became a speaker and advocate on behalf of patients with tick-borne illnesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Creech Air Force Base</span> US Air Force base in Clark County, Nevada

Creech Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) command and control facility in Clark County, Nevada used "to engage in daily Overseas Contingency Operations …of remotely piloted aircraft systems which fly missions across the globe." In addition to an airport, the military installation has the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Battlelab, associated aerial warfare ground equipment, and unmanned aerial vehicles of the type used in Afghanistan and Iraq. Creech is the aerial training site for the USAF Thunderbirds and "is one of two emergency divert airfields" for the Nevada Test and Training Range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilbur L. Creech</span> United States Air Force general

General Wilbur Lyman "Bill" Creech was a four-star general in the United States Air Force (USAF). He commanded Tactical Air Command (TAC), with headquarters at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, from May 1, 1978, to December 31, 1984. As of February 1984, the now-inactive Major Command (MAJCOM) directed the activities of two Numbered Air Forces, three centers and seven air divisions. More than 111,300 military and civilian personnel were assigned to 32 TAC bases in the United States, Panama, Okinawa and Iceland. Tactical Air Command was the gaining organization for 58,300 Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve personnel in 149 major units throughout the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tonopah Test Range Airport</span> US Air Force airfield at Tonopah, Nevada, United States

Tonopah Test Range Airport, at the Tonopah Test Range is 27 NM southeast of Tonopah, Nevada, and 140 mi (230 km) northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a major airfield with a 12,000 ft × 150 ft runway, instrument approach facilities, and nighttime illumination. The facility has over fifty hangars and an extensive support infrastructure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">57th Wing</span> US Air Force training formation

The 57th Wing is an operational unit of the United States Air Force (USAF) Warfare Center, stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Air Force Warfare Center</span> Military unit

The United States Air Force Warfare Center (USAFWC) at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, reports directly to Air Combat Command. The center was founded on September 1, 1966, as the U.S. Air Force Tactical Fighter Weapons Center. It was renamed the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Alaska USAF C-17 crash</span> 2010 plane crash in Alaska, United States

On July 28, 2010, a C-17 Globemaster III transport plane of the U.S. Air Force (USAF) crashed at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska, while practicing for a flight display at the upcoming Arctic Thunder Air Show. All four crew members on board were killed. It is the only fatal accident of a C-17 aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quad City Air Show</span>

The Quad City Airshow is an annual event at the Davenport Municipal Airport in Davenport, Iowa and is the largest airshow in the state of Iowa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Draken International</span> American provider of fighter aircraft

Draken International, LLC is an American provider of tactical fighter aircraft for contract air services including military and defense industry customers. The firm is based at the Lakeland Linder International Airport in Lakeland, Florida and also has an operating base at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

References

  1. ↑ The deadliest Thunderbird accident was the crash of a team support C-123B Provider, 55-4521, en route from Hill AFB, Utah to McChord AFB, Washington, on 9 October 1958. The plane flew through a flock of birds and crashed into a hillside six miles (10 km) east of Payette, Idaho, just before 6:30 p.m., killing all five flight crew and 14 maintenance personnel on board.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "The Thunderbirds' "Diamond Crash"". Check-Six.com. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
  3. ↑ "USAF Air Demonstration Squadron". GlobalSecurity.org. Archived from the original on 28 June 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
  4. 1 2 "Crashing in formation". Time Magazine. February 1982. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  5. ↑ "1968 USAF serial numbers" . Retrieved 16 August 2010.
  6. ↑ "Misjudgment held 'possible' in fatal Thunderbirds crash". Spokane Chronicle. 19 January 1982. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  7. ↑ "Air Force finds mechanical failure led to crashes of flying team". The New York Times. 11 April 1982. Retrieved 17 July 2011. Payment required to view full article.
  8. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. 1 2 Palamara, Gary. "The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, Turn 50, Part One". GaryPalamara.com. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
  10. ↑ Conahan, Frank. "Partial Videotape Erasure of 1982 Air Force Thunderbirds Crash (GAO/NSIAD-84-153)" (PDF). US GAO. Retrieved 8 July 2013.

36°35′18″N115°40′48″W / 36.5884°N 115.680°W / 36.5884; -115.680

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.